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REFLECTION | EASTERN HORIZON 49

thing over something else that we don’t like is not beneficial. That kind of prayer has an element
of hatred in it, and the despising of others. If we understand “prayer” as the specification of
personal wishes, it could not be regarded as a wholesome action.

The Buddha taught that a rightly directed mind (samma-saṅkappa) is not involved with
sensuality, ill-will or cruelty, but that right thinking is based on renunciation, non ill-will and
non-cruelty. Therefore, searching for sensual objects should be replaced by renunciation: we
give up, we don’t try to gain or get anything. And ill-will and cruelty are replaced simply by non-
ill-will and non-cruelty. Note that it doesn’t say that they are replaced by love, or anything of the
kind. Love is simply a reaction to hatred, and therefore its existence stands on the foundation of
hate; it exists as a response to hate. Thus love is not able to extinguish hate, since love depends
upon it. We can see this expressed in the verse above, “by non-hatred alone is hatred appeased”,
and not “by love is hatred defeated”. Love and hate co-exist, are inter-dependent, and are two
“worldly winds” that constantly move our minds.

But what would the Buddha do in a situation such as what has just happened in Sri Lanka,
where over 250 people have died in explosions? That hundreds and thousands of people
are killed in the world was not unknown to him. Not just recognizing the endless samsara of
shedding blood and tears, the Buddha also observed mass killings near his own home. In fact,
his own Sakyan nation had been massacred in his lifetime! But the Buddha was at peace. He
knew that nobody can win the battle with hatred and violence. He did not act like a vengeful
“God” to punish the wicked, but taught his disciples and all who would listen to him that killers
will bear the fruits of their evil actions. They will experience painful consequences without our
intervention.

Even when it came to others criticizing himself, the Buddha told his followers to not be angry
with the offenders. “If, bhikkhus, others speak in dispraise of me, or in dispraise of the Dhamma,
or in dispraise of the Sangha, you should not give way to resentment, displeasure, or animosity
against them in your heart. For if you were to become angry or upset in such a situation, you
would only be creating an obstacle for yourselves.” (DN 1) And in one of his most well know
discourses the Buddha said: “Even if low-down bandits were to sever you limb from limb,
anyone who had a malevolent thought on that account would not be following my instructions.
If that happens, you should train like this: ‘Our minds will remain unaffected. We will blurt out
no bad words. We will remain full of compassion, with a heart of kindness and no internal hate.
‘We will meditate spreading a heart of kindness to that person. And with them as a basis, we
will meditate spreading a heart full of kindness to everyone in the world—abundant, expansive,
limitless, free of enmity and ill will.’ That’s how you should train.”

Such is “prayer” that is not specific to an event, but refers to the nature of the mind as
“abundant, expansive, limitless, free of enmity and ill will”, that encompasses a space that
manifests nothing but kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity. No matter what enters that
space, it is imbued with those limitless qualities.

There is a similar message with reference to heavenly beings. There have always been battles
between devas and asuras. Both types of beings actually desire goodness and righteousness,
but their methods in response to evil are quite different. Sakka, the Lord of the devas, prefers